A Seattle-area mom learned the hard way why it's not a great idea to leave a sparkly platinum-and-diamond wedding band within a toddler's reach.
The mischievous 14-month-old boy named Brady apparently swiped the ring from the bathroom counter while his mother was washing her hands.
The proud dad — a Reddit user who calls himself “IAMCLARKGRISWOLD” (in homage to Chevy Chase's character in the beloved National Lampoon movies) — posted the news of the missing ring and his next course of action...
“My wife couldn’t find her wedding ring yesterday,” he wrote. “We decided to have our baby X-rayed just in case.”
Mom and dad's hunch was right on the mark, as the X-ray revealed the ring squarely in toddler's gut.
Doctors at the local children's hospital didn't see an immediate danger and, after holding their little patient for observation for eight hours, advised the parents to return home and wait for the jewelry to re-emerge naturally.
They also warned that the natural process could take up to two weeks, which meant the parents and two siblings, ages 5 and 7, had to prepare themselves for a long run of around-the-clock diaper vigils. If the ring did not pass naturally, doctors were prepared to remove the ring surgically.
The dad posted to Reddit, “Now we dissect each diaper like 5th grade science class.”
Fortunately for Brady and his family, the platinum-and-diamond ring emerged nine hours later with no ill effects.
The dad wrote, "We can't believe how quickly it passed, and it didn't seem to cause him any pain on the way out. What a trooper. What a pooper."
Reddit users were quick to chime in.
"Just remember; one day you will be asked to give a speech at your child's wedding," wrote starstarstar42. "I would lead off with this."
RoboKraken69 contributed this comical dialog...
"Hey honey, have you seen the remote?"
"No, just go X-ray the baby."
Another user added, “Isn’t your baby more precious now?”
Pediatrician Jennifer Shu told CNN that babies put things in their mouths to explore objects around them, and they will continue to do so until they are 2 or 3 years old.
That's all the more reason to keep your precious baubles safely out of the reach of the little ones — and your pets. But that's another story...
Photos via Bigstockphoto.com; Reddit/iamclarkgriswold.
